BY TALIA HANSEL
The Young Leaders Program of St. Paul”'s Church and the Semilla Center for Healing and the Arts have been helping protect the Mississippi Watershed this summer in various ways:
- Planting native plants on boulevards, to capture storm water runoff
- Mulching gardens to keep moisture in vegetable beds
- Educating children and adults about how to care for the watershed
We have started a campaign called “Take the Pledge”. The pledge has three simple commitments:
- I will drink water from the tap instead of buying bottled water. (Bottled water is pretty much the same as tap water. Some tap water sold is taken from deep in the earth, and has lowered the level of important aquifers. Plus Minneapolis tap water is clean and safe)
- I will clean up my street with my neighbors once a month. (Remember, everything that washes into storm sewers from our streets goes untreated into the river.
- I will learn more about how I can care for our Mississippi Watershed at https://mwmo.org/learn/
There are many other ways to conserve water, such as not mowing your lawn short, and capturing rainwater off your house or garage. If you are interested in learning more or becoming active in helping our watershed, call 612-724-3862 or e-mail semillacenter@gmail.com. And follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @semillacenter
Funding for this project was provided by the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization.
Talia Hansel, Community Ambassador for Young Leaders